One Stupid Thing

As Long as I'm With You

"So ya'll are telling me this is the firearm Rafe Cameron killed Peterkin with?" Shoupe asks us. He looks down at the gun JJ placed on his desk and then back up at us in disbelief.

"That's exactly what we're telling you, Shoupe," JJ confirms.

"And the exact same firearm that Ward just used to kill Gavin," Pope adds. Shoupe looks back down at the gun and stumbles over his words.

"And where's that corpse again?"

"Didn't you look?" Kiara scoffs.

"I checked the hospital. I went by his house. He was out."

"He was out?" Kie yells. "Listen to yourself! It makes perfect sense."

"No shit, Shoupe. 'Cause he's dead!" JJ shouts at the same time.

The acting sheriff holds up a hand for silence. "Just because he's not in his damn home does not mean he was a victim of a homicide."

"What are you talking about?" Kie raises her voice in frustration.

"Do we have to do everything for you? I mean, how much more can we spell it out, Shoupe?" I spit back.

"You have got to be kidding me," JJ sighs.

"Are you at least going to send it in for ballistics and shit?" Kiara asks him. Beside her, Pope bites his tongue. "Or are you just gonna sit on your ass?"

"He'll sit there and wax that damn mustache. Is that even real?" JJ shouts. Shoupe stands up and slams a fist on his desk. JJ clearly struck a nerve.

"Shut up, JJ!" Pope scolds.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I hurt his feelings?"

"Shut up!"

The officer walks around us and opens the door. "Get out. I got work to do and ya'll are smelling up my damn office."

Kiara walks up to him and shakes her head. "Did Ward bribe you? This doesn't make any sense."

"You ain't gonna do shit," JJ mutters, just loud enough for Shoupe to hear. He takes my hand and follows Kie out the door.

"I crawled in a fucking sewer for nothing. I mean seriously, Shoupe. A goddamn sewer," I say, stopping in front of him.

"Shouldn't have left Figure Eight," Shoupe tells me.

I scoff in disbelief. The nerve of this guy. "Actually, leaving that place was the best decision I ever made," I shoot back with a smile. Shoupe is hardly taller than me so, I barely have to look up to stare right into his guilt-filled eyes.

"Stella, c'mon. Let's go," JJ says, softly tugging on my hand.

"This isn't over, Shoupe."

"Out!" he yells. I breath out a laugh and follow JJ. Pope follows slowly behind.

"We brought you the murder weapon," he whispers tensely. "There's no logical reason for you not to send it in."

"Go with your friends," Shoupe dismisses him.

"This is bullshit," Pope mutters and he follows us out of the police station. Without a single word we hop into the Twinkie. JJ takes the wheel and I hop in beside him. Kie and Pope sit in the back.

"Hey, drop me off at home, will ya?" Pope asks.

"Yeah. Yeah, sure, Pope."

"Me too," Kiara pipes up.

"Alrighty."

JJ drops off Kie first, since we were already on that side of the island. She doesn't say anything except 'goodnight' as she exits. Same with Pope. He slams the door behind him and stomps up into his house. Now it's just JJ and I.